Sunday, 7 April 2013

Lake Zirou: The Lake that Wanted to Drown Mountains

A perfect reflection of the world surrounding it, Lake Zirou, on my particular day of visit held some peculiar conditions that made the encounter special for me. The water reached out for the road and there was a wealth of natural resplendence just teeming at the shore's edge. Being known on many occasions to escape within my own discomfiting mind, the sheer level of fecundity and ambience of this expanse of beryl green water left me completely sedated*. It was like being on drugs (I assume). Nonetheless, a pixie or two would not have looked out of place during this most memorable outing. With every environment akin to this, there is an ecosystem; both thriving and delighful. There were an abundance of tadpoles, ants and small fish. I scared two watersnakes into retreat, slithereing into the refuge of the calm waters. Oh, and there were flies. So many darned flies.

The road leading to the lake reminded me of something from back home. Everything was green and windswept. As my friend modestly put it, 'It is like you are no longer in Greece. It's as if you are in Ireland or something.' He was not wrong. It was impossible for me to hide my adulation for this particular area, only half an hours drive from where I currently live. It has a certain familiarity. It made me feel like I was wandering around 'The Chase' in Cannock, England. To be so far away from home and find a place so homely is definitely welcoming.

After spending hours by the lake, observing the wildlife and passively watching the hours escape us, we ventured uphill to explore what was in the nearby forest. My friend entertained us with stories of wolves and how they only attack when they are hungry. Not un-nerving whatsoever. As the topic moved onto the dangers bears, we came across a quiant, abandoned church in midst of the trees and the darkening sky. I can remember how my hands felt very heavy as we walked around the courtyard and I began to feel very uncomfortable to say the least.

As the day drew to a close, I left feeling the most sahtisfied that I have in years. The experience had seeped through to my bones, leaving me writing this with an unbeatably smug sensation. A song comes to mind; a title in particular: 'I Found Away' by Alkaline Trio. Deep down, this title, let alone the song, speaks to me. I am constantly looking inward to find a different plateau of thinking; for something that I can project, for something I can offer the world. Something that will one day define me as an individual, not on a grandiose scale, but sufficient in my eyes. 'Away' is that place inside, that you have to find if you are to allow yourself to find a purpose. A sort of nirvana. Days like yesterday bring me one solitary step closer to this understanding, and leaves me a little less stressed about the future, with its imminent difficulties, struggles and the inevitable rise of the Justin Bieber clone army.